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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Zimbabwe's Elections 2013 - Index of Articles
Sadc
endorses Mugabe
Elias Mambo, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
August 18, 2013
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/2013/08/18/sadc-endorses-mugabe/
Sadc leaders
meeting for their 33rd annual summit in Malawi yesterday endorsed
the disputed
July 31 elections in Zimbabwe won by President Robert Mugabe’s
Zanu PF.
Malawian President, Joyce
Banda who took over as the Sadc chairperson from outgoing leader,
Mozambican president Armando Geubuza congratulated Mugabe for conducting
“peaceful and fair polls.”
“We wish to offer
you continued support as a member of the family,” Banda said.
African Union (AU) Commission
chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also congratulated Mugabe for
holding credible elections, amid reports that the Zimbabwe leader
was given a near-hero welcome by delegates.
Observers from both the
AU and Sadc endorsed the elections saying they were held in a peaceful
and free environment. But the two bodies are yet to take a decision
on the fairness of the polls.
The Sadc summit was preceded
by a closed door gathering of the Sadc troika on Friday night attended
by leaders from South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania.
Although the two-day
summit is called to discuss the political and security situation
in the region, the recently concluded election in Zimbabwe will
make it to the agenda after Geubuza insisted on including it.
But Justice minister
Patrick Chinamasa said a communiqué would be issued today
for the “opposition to see”.
“We knew it would
end like this and Zimbabwe is no longer on the Sadc agenda after
holding a successful election,” he said.
A jovial Mugabe left
the Sadc meeting a happy man, raising his traditional clenched fist.
He thanked the outgoing Sadc executive secretary, Tomaz Salamao
for a job well-done.
Sources said Zimbabwe
and Seychelles were fighting to deputise Malawi.
Foreign Affairs minister
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi refused to comment saying independent papers
have been distorting facts.
Upon Mugabe’s arrival
at Kamuzu International airport on Friday, he took a swipe at the
West after being asked on their reaction to the just-ended disputed
elections in which he trounced his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai
of MDC-T.
Mugabe said the West
always wanted to dictate the state of affairs in Africa.
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